Living with HSV: Factors that can instigate outbreaks

In my earlier article "Understanding the dynamics of a herpes outbreak", I explained that individuals who have Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV2) have different outbreak timelines (if you have not read the above article I would encourage you do to so it might make understanding the following information a bit easier). Some people with HSV2 will have outbreaks about 4-5 times per year, some will have them as if their body were on a schedule say every 6 weeks the outbreak occurs, others will have maybe just a one single episode, while some will have them seemingly monthly, and still others may never have an outbreak.

For most people being diagnosed with Herpes is an alarming, life changing event. The social stigma related to this viral disease process is ever present in the minds of those who have Herpes. Trying understand how this virus affects us while attempting to comprehend the medical terminology related to this virus can be frustrating. My mission is to present information related to sexual health and sexually transmitted diseases in a easy to understand language. Basically, I'm here to rid you of the burden of the confusing and for some intimidating medical information related to your sexual health. Let's move on.

In much of the medical information available regarding Herpes you will find that there are some "Predisposing Factors" that can instigate a Herpes outbreaks. The most common "predisposing factors" are typically identified as 1) Stress 2)Prolonged exposure to sunlight 3) Being Immunocompromised. Some of these factors may be fairly easy to understand, but for many they are perplexing to say the least . Don't let that deter you, some of these factors are not even well understood by the medical community.

Lets look at how these factors might instigate a herpes outbreak.

Stress: Once herpes enters the body it attaches to a nerve and travels up that nerve to nerve branches near the spine called the "Spinal Ganglia". Once it reaches the Spinal Ganglia it becomes dormant or goes into a sleep mode. As you might imagine as we encounter stressful events our nervous system is activated or agitated. The Spinal Ganglia are an essential part of our nervous system, as we come under stress the Herpes virus which has now in essence attached itself to our nervous system can be awakened from it's dormant state by this stress event that affects the Spinal Ganglia. Once awakened the virus travels back down the same nerve path through which it initially traveled to our spinal area. Finally, as the virus travels down the nerve it irritates the nerve and skin causing the lesions that are typically associated with Herpes.

Exposure to sunlight: How intense or prolonged exposure to sunlight can lead to an outbreak of Herpes is not well understood. This catalyst for Herpes outbreaks is more often associated with Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV1). HSV1 is the viral strain of Herpes associated with Oral Herpes or cold sores.

Being Immunocompromised: I know this sounds scary, quite often we here this term associated with disease processes such as Cancer and HIV. To be "immunocompromised" in relationship to Herpes simply means that our immune system is being utilized to fight off some other form of illness, or it is not able to function at it's normal capacity. If you have a cold your immune system is activated to defend you against the particular virus causing the cold. If you have pneumonia the immune system jumps into the fight against the bacteria or virus that is causing your pneumonia. There are times when our immune system can be affected by things other than illness. If you are participating in prolonged activities that require a high level of physical exertion with poor recovery periods your immune system can be adversely affected. We see this type of immunocompromise in men and women attending military basic training, or in service members who live in austere environments for prolonged periods, and in those who are live in hostile environments or are in combat. When your immune system is otherwise engaged with these other processes, or is unable to function properly, Herpes has an opportunity to rear it's ugly head manifest in a Herpes outbreak.

These "predisposing factors" can be interrelated. If you have the flu and are missing work because of your illness you may well be temporarily immunocompromised due to the illness, and you may be under stress because of missed work assignments or projects left unattended due to your illness. The presence of these factors may be enough to instigate a Herpes outbreak.

If you have Herpes it is important to understand how this viral disease process interacts with your body, how it might effect your sexual health, and certainly the effects it may have regarding sexual relationships. It is my hope that through enhancing your understanding of Herpes you might lighten the emotional burden so often prevalent in those effected by this virus.